FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – A deputy sheriff was drugged up on a painkiller in a chase that killed two people in October. Deputy Kelly Backman was charged with misconduct by a public officer and driving while intoxicated. The criminal complaint said Kelly was under the influence of the powerful painkiller fentanyl. The chase began when Kelly spotted a vehicle driven by a man sought in a drug investigation. The pursued man ran a stop sign and crashed into a vehicle carrying a Fergus Falls couple. Both Steve Christianson, 72, and Diane Christianson, 71, died.
